Play for Keeps (The Devil's Share #6)(20)

“Say, yep we’re good, Daddy.” I rolled her on her side, buttoning the little baby pink sundress. I grabbed Smith’s watch, checking the time. “You’re going to be late, babe.” I lifted Evie into my arms, putting her soft elastic headband in place. “We are perfectly capable of walking down the stairs to Lexi’s room without your help.” We’d rented the house in Florida that we had lived in after the tour. Smith and I were staying in our old room on the third floor. Those stairs were a workout.

“Okay. I’ll see y’all down there.” He kissed Evie’s cheek and then my lips. “You look gorgeous, cher.” He ran his hands down my sides, feeling the soft material of the blush-colored bridesmaid dress.

When he pulled away to leave, I reached out with one hand, grabbing his collar and pulling him back to me. I pressed my lips to his, kissing him deeper and involuntarily moaning into his mouth. “You look pretty good yourself, fiancé.”

His face lit up at my words. “Two more weeks, cher. And then that ass is mine.”

“Counting down?” I chuckled.

“You know it. Dash even gave me a calendar.” He winked and then headed down the stairs.

When Smith and the rest of the band had gotten home from their little road trip, he’d walked right in the door and gotten down on one knee. He poured his heart out, tears spilling down his face as he asked me to marry him. I was so surprised, and I couldn’t say yes fast enough.

When he’d left, he had told me that he left some heirlooms behind, things that had belonged to his mom. I never asked what they were. I was just glad that he was going back, going to face his past. Knowing the real reason he’d returned to Louisiana made his proposal that much sweeter.

I looked down at the ring he’d given me where it rested on my left hand. The hand that was currently patting my tiny infant on her back, soothing her to sleep.

My engagement ring had belonged to first his grandmother and then his mom. It was so special. So perfect. It was a round diamond in a hexagon setting, tons of fine details. It was better than anything I could have dreamed up for myself. And it had belonged to his mom.

This was his last remaining piece of her. That made it invaluable in my book.

“Come on, angel baby. Let’s go find the rest of the girls.”





Chapter Eighteen





Dash

Today was my wedding day. Today I was marrying the girl of my dreams, the mother of my child. The mother of all my future children. Children she’d promised to give me, just not for another couple years or so. And that was just fine by me. I had Lexi, and I had Halen. I fell asleep at night counting my blessings.

I put my sunglasses in place and walked out toward the ocean, toward the altar on the shore. It was covered in flowers with a lace curtain backdrop. The breeze was blowing and the sun was warm. It was the perfect day to get married.

A guitarist with a portable amp played “Sea of Love” as my three best men and I made our way through the sand. I had asked Lexi to marry me on this beach right in the exact spot I stood. And now, she finally was.

“Hey, Dash?”

I leaned back and whispered out the side of my mouth, “What?”

“I don’t have Lexi’s ring, man.”

I smiled at the panic in Smith’s voice. “I gave it to Luke to hold. He’s her best friend.”

“I thought I was the best man. I thought that was part of my job. It was on the typed-out list of duties that Dylan handed me yesterday.” Smith’s hands were now on his hips.

Jacks stepped forward. “You aren’t the best man. We all are. Right?”

I schooled my tone like I was talking to children. “Yes. You are all the best men. But, since Luke is so special to Lex, I thought it would be cool if he carried her ring.”

Luke reached into his pocket and pulled out her sparkling diamond eternity band. “I’ve got the ring, I’ve got the ring, I’m more important.” I rolled my eyes at his taunting. “I’ve got the—”

I took a deep breath when he accidentally dropped it on the sand and then bent down to pick it up. He tucked it safely back in his pocket and mumbled, “I’m sorry.”

When we’d gotten home from our road trip, Lexi had pulled me aside and told me she’d marry me that instant if it was what I wanted. Then she told me that the wedding didn’t matter to her nearly as much as our marriage did. That she wanted to be a wife, not a bride. And a mother; not a baby machine.

I’d held her in my arms and told her how much I loved her, how perfect for me she was. I’d apologized over and over. And now, today I was marrying my Lexi, surrounded by all the people I loved, and nothing else mattered.





Chapter Nineteen





Lexi

“Halen, baby, don’t put the flowers in your mouth.” Why I’d thought giving my toddler a basket of flower petals was a good idea, I didn’t know. “Here, let Mommy carry them.” I took the basket and her eyes filled with tears. “Oh no, baby, please don’t…”

It was too late. The waterworks were flowing. Halen was sixteen months old and clearly headed into her terrible twos. Her head was thrown back and she was wailing flowers over and over. Only it sounded more like fowwwers. These temper tantrums were happening more and more often these days. It made my decision to wait for baby number two seem like a genius move on my part. Even Dash had dropped down to his knees the other day and thanked me. He’d told Halen she couldn’t take off her diaper and she’d tossed it across the room anyway.